Wednesday Wandomness, doc!

What I'm listening to now...

I'm at work, which is a corporate office attached to my parents' home.  So to help circulate the lovely fall air through said house and office, I keep the french doors open.  Doing this lets in the sound of my 9 and 7-year-old siblings watching Looney Tunes--one of my all-time favorite cartoons (hence the funny accented blog title). They just don't make cartoons like Bugs anymore, do they?  It's cracking me up and I'm not even watching. :)

What I've been reading...
I recently finished One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life.  They were a combo I didn't plan on, but I'm thankful that I ended up reading them at the same time.  Both brought me two challenging perspectives on the joy of our life in Christ, thankfulness and servant-heartedness that will find me lost in their pages again, I'm sure. :)

A Woman After God's Own Heart - Elizabeth George

North & South - Elizabeth Gaskell

Lies Young Women Believe - Nancy Leigh DeMoss & Dannah Gresh

Now, in addition to trying to keep myself in the Word, I've started THREE books. -gasp-  It was kind of an accident, and I thought "pregnancy brain" would cause me to quit one of them (or two, or three...), but I've been surprised and thankful!  I'm pressing on, absorbing some wonderful things and hoping I can tackle them even with a newborn.  Heh heh, we'll see!

What is up with baby...
(38wk 4d)  Monday, our Doctor's appointment revealed that we're already 80% effaced and 2 cm dialated!  While the Dr. said that could mean delivery in 2 days or 2 weeks, in light of other symptoms, I'm hoping for a baby within the next week. :)
It's been neat to follow blogs of other Mama's due around the same time as me.  A big congrats to Steph and her sweet family, Mr. and Mrs. Lukie--and a very soon congrats to Anna! :)

I should not...
...browse Pinterest on an empty stomach.  Noooo, sir.

I really need to...
...clean the house.
...finish packing the hospital bag and diaper bag.
...stock the fridge so hubby needn't make avoidable runs to the store after baby's born.
...clean.muah.casa.
...finish the next wave of baby gift thank-yous!
...cweanhowse.
...blog all those posts waiting to be posted.
...did I mention I need to clean my house???

I really, really love...
...my sweet husband.
...this growing darling who will make her appearance soon.
...FRUIT SNACKS!
...and you, friend, for stopping by.

I hope your Wednesday, or whatever day it is, is blessed with the goodness of God.  So much that you can't contain it--even if it's not very evident at the moment, I still hope you know it's there. :)

In the home stretch...

Maternity pics were taken by Daddy at 35 weeks--I'm pretty sure "we" have grown substantially, even since then! ;)  Now we are at 37 weeks and 5 days; only 2ish weeks til the due date.  At 10 weeks, I remember thinking it was going to take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to get here.  While it did seem to drag at times, it's hard to believe that I'll be holding my baby girl very very very soon.  Woooow.

So, here's what's been going on in the baby department...

• 2 weeks ago, I was only 20% effaced with no dilation.  The Dr. let me skip the exam this week (can I get a YAY?) since it's still early yet, so I'm hoping next week we'll have progressed enough to be excited!  I'm trying not to get my hopes up though.
• Thanks to my sweet Flower Mama friend's help, I've been taking Evening Primrose Oil since 36 weeks. It's known to help with progression, softening of the cervix (TMI?) and shorten the transition stage of labor.  I didn't experience hardly any Braxton Hicks contractions until I started taking it, but still haven't had any real-deal contractions. We'll see how that goes!
• Up until just a few nights ago, pelvic pain/pressure had made the nights pretty rough.  But just in the past few days, I've had little-to-no pain or pressure, and have slept like a baby.  Is that a sign of something, experienced Moms???  Or is it just a blessing? :)
• Per the pelvic pain, Cate is head-down and still active like crazy.  I thought by now, with how HUGE I feel, her movements would decrease.  However, I sometimes feel like I'm growing a freestyle break dancer, and I pray that means she's small and has lots of room in there. :)
• I was getting a little worried that the typical "nesting phase" had skipped me, but I'm getting little spurts of it here and there.  I'm getting VERY good at...making lots of lists!  Does that count?  No?  Hm...well, hopefully it will come in full swing soon, so I can post pictures of our new CLEAN apartment.  Ahem.
• The baby books and wesbites say you should have your hospital bag and diaper bag packed--and the car seat installed--up to 4 weeks before your due date.  -cough-  We have yet to get any of that accomplished. -cough-

Grace & peace to you,

A very pregnant and ready-to-get-this-show-on-the-road Jen

Preggo Update (and other newsness...)

29 weeks. :)

The past few weeks have been so busy, with alot of changes happening that have kept us on our toes--and kept us in prayer. :)  Things like unexpectedly finding a new apartment, possibly a new job for Craig, new church, new nephew...have I forgotten anything? (More details on all that soon!)  While sometimes the changes/waiting can be stressful or uncertain, we've been praising God for this season we're in.  Testing our trust in His provision and testing our patience, though difficult, have been incredibly sweet in rewards.  He is good, even in His disciplining. :)

Since we've been so crazy busy, I can hardly believe that we have 11 weeks to go before Miss Cate makes her appearance.  11 WEEKS.  -gasp-  We'll be in the single digit countdown soon, and we haven't even begun to get ready for her.  Due to my sweet Mom's urgings, we finally registered at Babies R Us so that she can start planning a baby shower.  If you happen to visit the registry and see the giant tub of Animal Crackers...that's cause Daddy had the registry gun. :)

Baby bump schtuff...

• Cate has become one active little girl, going from little thumps and kicks to complete turns and stretches.  You can see her movements just by watching my belly, which is highly entertaining and endearing. :)
• We passed our yucky glucose test with flying colors, however I'm a little anemic, so Dr. has me on high doses of iron--which means I'm gulping down the prune juice too.  Heh heh.  TMI??
• I've not been sleeping very well--mostly due to my back and hips aching.  Rotating often helps, but that means less sleep.  A sweet cousin-couple bought me a body pillow, which has helped tremendously, but I still have some rough nights.
• I WANT TO EAT EVERYTHING!  Though my main cravings are loaded salads and fruit, if they're not close at hand, I'll eat anything else.

I'm not at the "Oh my goodness, I can't wait for this to be over" stage yet--I've really enjoyed this season so far.  But as far as getting to see my baby girl, I've really started getting anxious for her to be here.  I'm anxious to rock her, love on her, sing to her, etc.  AND see her Daddy fall in love with her; I'm really, really, anxious for that too.

I will have pictures of our first little home soon, along with pics of our new apartment!  But alas, we haven't any internet at the new place yet--hence the blog-slackingness. :)

It's a Girl!

Bring on those crocheted hats! :)
Ultrasound day was so exciting--as my Flower Mama friend told me, I was happy to have an early appointment so the day wouldn't drag.  Since I didn't let my six-year-old sister come to my first appointment (the not-so-fun one), I told her she could come to the ultrasound.  She was thrilled, and was SO sure it was a boy that she specifically wore blue.
They let me and Craig go in first, just to make sure all was good with Little One and so we could have the gender reveal alone together.  I thought I would cry when I saw the little baby form on the screen, but seeing the little feet and bones made me too excited--AND the tech took forever taking the anatomy pictures before revealing what bebe was, so the suspense kept the tears at bay.

Just from what hubby and I were seeing, we thought it was going to be a boy--but apparently we weren't looking at what we thought we were seeing, haha.  FINALLY, the tech told us that it was no doubt...we were expecting a daughter.  I gasped, and Daddy grinned in complete surprise.  I laughed and said, "I can totally hear Jaelyn saying 'Ohhh maaaannn....' in disappointment."
I called it--she said, "that stinks!".  Thankfully now, she's ecstatic to be having a niece, and already has their playtime figured out.

[Her profile facing up...I think she has her dad's profile & nose, but of course don't know for sure :D ]

Again, I hadn't cried up to this point.  But when the tech panned to get a full-front shot of her face, I couldn't breathe, and out came the tears.  I was looking at my daughter's face.  Oh my goodness, it was so surreal, and a revelation of how much I already loved her.

For some reason, before the U/S, I was barely feeling flutters.  As soon as the day after, I was feeling full movement and kicks--maybe we got her all stirred up.  I'm loving it.  Even when it wakes me in the middle of the night (when I have bad pregnancy-insomnia as it is), it makes me happy.

AND overwhelms me, because of things like this...

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

--Psalm 139:13-16

a baby update

Ohmygoodness am I so happy to be through the first trimester. For a good 4ish weeks I was throwing up every day or every two days! Stuffy rooms, food cooking, and butter were among my enemies. Fruit, potatoes, Sprite and very plain foods (unsweetened cereal, oatmeal, toast, crackers, etc) were my BESTIES.
And my husband was my bestie; he who would go out on Sprite, mashed potato and french fry runs at all hours of the day and night. He liked those rare spurts of my Chinese take-out cravings though. :D

My only battle now is to KEEP from eating everything in sight, and drink water. Water, all of a sudden, has a funny taste unless it's "dead water"...reverse osmosis/distilled and right from the jug. Even then a little lemon helps lots.

Except for some shirts and dresses, I'm all maternity now. A dear friend from Hubby's work and Alicia at weesher weesh blessed me with maternity clothes that have worked out woooonderfully. Alicia posts some adorably hilarious stuff about her two boys, and their upcoming baby sister--she's a sweetheart, you should check out her blog. :) 

I keep looking up at the pictures and ohmygoodnessing. I look in the mirror everyday, but I guess I don't see THAT. That's a baby bump. Awww.
And I look sleepy in all my makeupless glory. Thats my for-reals face you're seeing right ther. :)

5 days til we know if bump is a boy or girl! :)

Giveaway & baby :)

Here we are at 13 weeks. :)

I'm 16 weeks now, so it's not up to date.  But I don't feel like I've changed too much.

Morning sickness has been absolutely awful since 7 weeks, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I went FOUR days without losing my lunch this week.

While everyone thinks my rough start means it's a boy, there are plenty that think its a girl!

Daddy wants a boy--of course. :)

And if we have a boy, he wouldn't hurt for argyle...since that's what Daddy is KNOWN for.  He wears it lots.  He even has argyle socks.

I kinda of want a girl.  Why???

1) I'm partial to oldest daughters.  Just sayin.

2) There hasn't been a daughter born on hubby's side in 50 years!!!

3) And I've always loved crocheted hats for baby girls.  Like these...

We saw some at a craft fair and oh, I begged to get one.  But darling husband didn't see the point in getting it when we didn't know the gender yet.  I assured I would give it as a gift to my girl-bearing friends....BUT I still wanted one.  Since my dearest bud LeAnna at Thoughts & Whatnots knows my love for girly things AND my hopes that Baby is a girl, she let me know about her giveaway!

Which, by the way, you MUST check out by clicking here...

  ::  LeAnna's Girlish Giveaway  ::

She is giving away homemade baby/girly crocheted things--like headbands, diaper covers, etc.  SOO cute!  They are made by Annette who blogs about her adorable creations here, and has an Etsy shop full of irresistable crocheted things.

~ ~ ~ ~

So hubby and I aren't set on wanting just a boy or just a girl--we're so thankful for this little one, no matter if they sport argyle or crocheted hats.  We're just praising God that they're coming, and praying that they grow healthy, with an earnest love for their Savior.

Aaaamen.  Go check out the giveaway!

The rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Write seven things about yourself.
3. Pass on to seven other bloggers.
4. Tell the seven awardees of their award! :)

Thank you Miss Chloe at tryin' to throw my arms around the world for TWO awards!  Chloe is an expecting Mama, wife to a law-student and a passionate Jesus-lover/runner/blogger.  She also faithfully checks my blog on her roll, even when she knows I haven't posted anything new in months.  I heart her looooots.
We will tackle one award at a time, since I'll need something to blog about next time.  Am I clever?  Well lets not get carried away...:)

[1] The real reason I haven't blogged much.
With a relationship, engagement and marriage within a 5 month period, I haven't lacked for subject matter--and I still would like to share some fun details that are dear to my heart very soon.  But to be honest, friend, I've not been in a good spiritual season of late. I can't explain it wholly, nor know what the Lord is trying to teach me here.  I DO know that the health of my relationship with my Abba affects EVERYTHING.  It affects my perspective, my marriage, my desires, my job, my friendships--and yes, it even affects the way I blog. :)  I'm praying for God's grace to grow more healthy in whatever ways that glorify Him most.

[2]  I really, really love this man.

He is a blessing from God that I never expected this year.

My journey to Prince Charming wasn't perfect in the slightest--even though I'd practiced purity, read the books, did the courtships, etc.  I'm just so thankful that God does EVERYTHING the way HE wants to.

[3]  The Mr. and I live in a university campus Ministry Building as the live-in custodians--we think it's a pretty sweet deal, and we're praying for any opportunities God has for us to serve there (other than clean the bathrooms, but we hope to glorify God in that too!).

[4]  I MADE A BOOK LIST.  -gasp-

I used to love making yearly book lists, and scratching one off each time I closed a cover.  But I stopped two years ago in protest to all the marshmellow fluff they package in the genre "Christian" and sell.  It's ridiculous the stuff they shelf in the name of my Savior.  But now that I've cooled down, with thanks to a husband that knows his stuff and recommends sound books, you can check out my new book list here. :)

[5]  I heart Lo Mein.  Like, not even kidding, I want a plate of it right now.

[6]  First first book I've finished from my list is one I highly recommend, friend.  It's a little coffee-table-style, simple (yet heavy) overview of the Gospel.  Why I love it so much is it wasn't a overview of the Gospel for me to SHARE with others...it's an overview for ME, to be reminded of the Gospel I heard and believe.  There's a difference, though there shouldn't be. :)

The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel The Main Thing
--C.J. Mahaney

and [7]

If you haven't caught the cat-out-of-the-bag on Facebook yet...

Even when you tell only a few, there's always a chance of an information leak. :)

[in case you can't tell, those are plus signs.]

It's still so very early yet, which is why we wanted to keep it under wraps for awhile.  But maybe with more people knowing now, more can pray with us--which we request sincerely. :)

Since I've been awful with blogging faithfully, I haven't any idea on who to award and definitely don't think I could pick seven others.  Boohoo.  So if you read this post--thank you---and you've just been awarded by Jen :D